Tissue and temperature-specific RNA-seq analysis reveals genomic versatility and adaptive potential in wild sea turtle hatchlings (Caretta caretta)
Abstract
Background: Digital transcriptomics is rapidly emerging as a powerful new technology
for modelling the environmental dynamics of the adaptive landscape in diverse lineages.
This is particularly valuable in taxa such as turtles and tortoises (order Testudines)
which contain a large fraction of endangered species at risk due to anthropogenic
impacts on the environment, including pollution, overharvest, habitat degradation,
and climate change. Sea turtles (family Cheloniidae) in particular invite a genomics-enabled
approach to investigating their remarkable portfolio of adaptive evolution. The sex
of the endangered loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) is subject to temperature-dependent
sex determination (TSD), a mechanism by which exposure to temperatures during embryonic
development irreversibly determines sex. Higher temperatures produce mainly female
turtles and lower temperatures produce mainly male turtles. Incubation temperature
can have long term effects on the immunity, migratory ability, and ultimately longevity
of hatchlings. We perform RNA-seq differential expression analysis to investigate
tissue-and temperature-specific gene expression within brain (n = 7) and gonadal (n
= 4) tissue of male and female loggerhead hatchlings. Results: We assemble tissue-and
temperature-specific transcriptomes and identify differentially expressed genes relevant
to sexual development and life history traits of broad adaptive interest to turtles
and other amniotic species. We summarize interactions among differentially expressed
genes by producing network visualizations, and highlight shared biological pathways
related to migration, immunity, and longevity reported in the avian and reptile literature.
Conclusions: The measurement of tissue-and temperature-specific global gene expression
of an endangered, flagship species such as the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta)
reveals the genomic basis for potential resiliency and is crucial to future management
and conservation strategies with attention to changing climates. Brain and gonadal
tissue collected from experimentally reared loggerhead male and female hatchlings
comprise an exceedingly rare dataset that permits the identification of genes enriched
in functions related to sexual development, immunity, longevity, and migratory behavior
and will serve as a large, new genomic resource for the investigation of genotype–phenotype
relationships in amniotes.
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/23946Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.3390/ani11113013Publication Info
Chow, JC; Kyritsis, N; Mills, M; Godfrey, MH; Harms, CA; Anderson, PE; & Shedlock,
AM (2021). Tissue and temperature-specific RNA-seq analysis reveals genomic versatility and adaptive
potential in wild sea turtle hatchlings (Caretta caretta). Animals, 11(11). pp. 3013-3013. 10.3390/ani11113013. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/23946.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Matthew H. Godfrey
Adjunct Associate Professor

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